I keep reading about how Yahoo needs to do this and that to fix things and make a more profitable company. I don't know about any of that - it strikes me that the company is being measured by standards which are unrealistic and crash prone. In any case, I will say this for Yahoo: its sports coverage is very good, and its college football coverage is absolutely outstanding.
Two examples will suffice: Death to the BCS, a book with a self explanatory title, the centerpiece of a running battle to dismantle college football's idiotic postseason system, which has largely played out in columns on Yahoo Sports. And now, this Woodward and Bernstein quality investigation into Nevin Shapiro and his extended career of illegal interactions with the University of Miami's athletes.
Charles Robinson, Dan Wetzel, Jeff Passan, Josh Peter: keep up this amazing work. Thank you.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Updated Murdoch Casualty List
The latest list of casualties of the News phone hacking scandal:
- The News of the World - shut down after 168 years
- News Corporation bid to take control of British satellite provider BSkyB - withdrawn
- News International CEO and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks - resigned, then arrested
- Wall Street Journal publisher Les Hinton - resigned
- Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson - resigned
- Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates - resigned
- Metropolitan Police PR advisor and former News of the World executive Neil Wallis - arrested
- Metropolitan Police Director of Public Affairs Dick Fedorcio - placed on extended leave
- Former News of the World editor and Prime Minister's press officer Andy Coulson - arrested
- Former News of the World editor Greg Miskiw - arrested
- Former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner - arrested
- News of the World senior writer James Weatherup - arrested
- Former News of the World assistant editor Ian Edmondson - dismissed, then arrested
- News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck - arrested
- News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman - arrested
- Private investigator and phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire - arrested, convicted, and served prison time
- Two unnamed men - arrested
Monday, July 18, 2011
Resigned To His Fate
John Yates, the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, resigned today as a result of the News of the World phone hacking scandal. Rather than fill the airwaves with repetitive postings, I'll keep watching these until the end of the week and publish an updated casualty list.
Does anyone really think this is confined to the UK? I'd be amazed if the New York Post had never hacked anyone's phones.
Does anyone really think this is confined to the UK? I'd be amazed if the New York Post had never hacked anyone's phones.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
More Hacks Resigning
The New York Times reports that Sir Paul Stephenson, London's Police Commissioner, has resigned in the wake of revelations that, at best, police inaction helped the News of the World phone hacking scandal fester for years. At worst, we are looking at gross corruption, but let's reserve judgment on that. So, a casualty list so far:
But I mustn't gloat. That would be mean.
Fun, though, isn't it?
- The News of the World - shut down after 168 years
- News Corporation bid to take control of British satellite provider BSkyB - withdrawn
- News International CEO and former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks - resigned, then arrested
- Wall Street Journal publisher Les Hinton - resigned
- Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson - resigned
- Metropolitan Police PR advisor and former News of the World executive Neil Wallis - arrested
- Former News of the World editor and Prime Minister's press officer Andy Coulson - arrested
- News of the World senior writer James Weatherup - arrested
- Former News of the World assistant editor Ian Edmondson - dismissed, then arrested
- News of the World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck - arrested
- News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman - arrested
- Private investigator and phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire - arrested, convicted, and served prison time
- Two unnamed men - arrested
But I mustn't gloat. That would be mean.
Fun, though, isn't it?
Friday, June 24, 2011
This Changes Too Many Things
Apple's brand new Final Cut Pro is treading on more than a few professional toes. Just ask Conan O'Brien. And if you think people love to call David Pogue an Apple fanboy, just see what happens when he supports this new software.
My take: lack of backward compatibility is a serious drawback. Upgrade to 64 bit is a huge plus. The rest of those missing features will come, but it will take time. And in that time, Apple will lose a lot of professional users. But they'll make it back, and then some, in regular consumers.
Will they ever get the pros back? No idea. Does Apple care? Likely not.
My take: lack of backward compatibility is a serious drawback. Upgrade to 64 bit is a huge plus. The rest of those missing features will come, but it will take time. And in that time, Apple will lose a lot of professional users. But they'll make it back, and then some, in regular consumers.
Will they ever get the pros back? No idea. Does Apple care? Likely not.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
This Changes Everything
Announcing Lytro, the camera that captures pretty much everything - essentially a 3D image that can be rendered as such, or as a variable focus, variable depth of field 2D image. The company calls them Living Pictures, and the raw data is the Light Field. Here's an example - click around the image to change focus:
It seems to me that, for demo purposes, they've created a depth map and pre-generated three or four images there. I imagine the computation time to refocus is nontrivial, so a simple focus or depth of field slider wouldn't be very effective.
Here's the take on it from the New York Times, and CNN Tech.
It seems to me that, for demo purposes, they've created a depth map and pre-generated three or four images there. I imagine the computation time to refocus is nontrivial, so a simple focus or depth of field slider wouldn't be very effective.
Here's the take on it from the New York Times, and CNN Tech.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Bin Laden Dies, News Media Goes Crazy
I am sure we'll all retain a vivid memory of where we were when this news surfaced. I was watching Real Housewives of Orange County (yes, really), and noticed a Facebook post querying the rumor going around online.
So I dived into the crazed world of blanket coverage of an event where not so many details are known, and it's been fascinating to see facts emerge from supposition. A mansion became a compound. Assets became agents became Navy SEALs. And, as always, everyone was scrambling to find an angle. Because if you are any kind of news site, you need to be covering the biggest story. Even if it has no relevance whatsoever to your news focus.
Doug Aamoth knows this, and covers the point with humility and honesty:
I have to drag big news into my wheelhouse when possible, whether it affects me or not.
My inside source at CNN Money, Stacy Cowley, reacted:
It helps to club it on the head first. That's our tactic. Stun the news, then BAM, own it.
Nothing more need be said.
So I dived into the crazed world of blanket coverage of an event where not so many details are known, and it's been fascinating to see facts emerge from supposition. A mansion became a compound. Assets became agents became Navy SEALs. And, as always, everyone was scrambling to find an angle. Because if you are any kind of news site, you need to be covering the biggest story. Even if it has no relevance whatsoever to your news focus.
Doug Aamoth knows this, and covers the point with humility and honesty:
I have to drag big news into my wheelhouse when possible, whether it affects me or not.
My inside source at CNN Money, Stacy Cowley, reacted:
It helps to club it on the head first. That's our tactic. Stun the news, then BAM, own it.
Nothing more need be said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)